Structural and functional studies of the adrenal zona glomerulosa in sodium-depleted and sodium-loaded sheep.

The effects of alterations in sodium status upon the morphology of the adrenal zona glomerulosa in sheep have been examined qualitatively and quantitatively, using light- and electron microscopy, and correlated with functionally related biochemical data. With severe sodium depletion induced by parotid-cannula drainage, there was mitotic activity throughout the zona glomerulosa, and glandular cells showed striking ultrastructural changes. These changes particularly affected mitochondria, which were enlarged, rounded and showed replacement of their normal lamelliform cristae by thin elongated cristal elements and bundles of tubular "rod-like" structures. Quantitative morphometric studies showed an increase in the volumes of zona glomerulosa cells, nuclei, mitochondria, smooth and granular endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi profiles. In contrast, with dietary sodium loading, zona glomerulosa cells appeared shrunken and showed cytoplasmic lipid accumulation; mitochondria and other organelles were not significantly altered. The correlation of the ultrastructural cytological alterations in zona glomerulosa cells in sodium-depleted sheep with raised blood aldosterone levels suggests that such morphologic changes reflect a heightened capacity of these cells for aldosterone biosynthesis and secretion. These changes may also account for the increased sensitivity of the zona glomerulosa to aldosterone-producing stimuli during sodium deficiency.